Lara is now an old friend. Not only does she have a huge heart, but she’s smart, curious, highly organised, resourceful, creative, uber-stylish and loves to have fun. These qualities, I discovered two months ago, earn her a new moniker – Madame Tour Guide Extraordinaire.

In May Lara took several adventuring friends and me to visit Lebanon, a 6 day trip that took her four months to plan.

To my generation, Lebanon conjures up images of bombs, beaches, tanks, night clubs, stray bullets and beautiful people. My financial manager urged me to update my life insurance plan days before I flew. “Just in case” he said. I remembered that when my ex-husband went to Beirut in the early  nineties, he slept in his running shoes.

The closest we came to stray bullets was seeing a now defunct Holiday Inn riddled with bullet holes from the Civil War (1975-1991).

Rather than being afraid, I was dazzled.  Modern buildings by star architects Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel and Herzog de Meuron dot the Beirut horizon. Meanwhile we stayed at the traditional  and charming Hotel Albergo, originally a 1920’s Lebanese house.

Fragrant fig and orange trees wafted over me as I relaxed by the hotel’s rooftop pool with views of the city, sea and distant mountains.

We swam in the sea one day, visited an ancient cedar forest bordered by snowcapped mountains the next.

Where else can you dance …

see ancient Roman ruins …

shop …

hike (contact: George Zgheib Guide  zgheibgeorge@hotmail.com)

hug a cedar

eat to your heart’s content

and contemplate?

What I  was most impressed by was how welcome we felt. The Arabic word for welcome when translated literally means “You’ve come to stay with my family.”

Lara’s colourful friend Aline invited the fourteen of us  over for lunch.

She’d been cooking for three days.

And for those who read my last blog about being obsessed by stylish interiors, imagine how crazed I was at Aline’s seaside villa:

As fellow groupie Charles told Lara,

As to the people, what can I say, except that, from now on, I will try to be more Lebanese? The warmth of the welcome from everyone was astonishing – all your enchanting family and friends of course. But also from the guides, the drivers, the ice cream makers, the dancers, the shopkeepers, the jewellers, the furniture builders, the restaurateurs, the hoteliers…

What not to miss:

The National Museum of Beirut is a must, ideally on day one. Opened in 1942, the museum is packed with ancient treasures, including mummies, sarcophaguses and gorgeous gold  jewellery that reminds me of Pippa Small’s designs. Lebanon has been occupied by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans and French, among others- so lots to see here.

This casual farmer’s kitchen El Tawlet is an ideal  Beirut lunch spot. El Tawlet was started by the entrepreneurial Kamal Mouzawak, who also created downtown Beirut’s first farmer’s market- Souk al Tayeb– held every Saturday. Women from different mountain villages cook their local dishes at El Tawlet every day, thus helping support their respective villages.  In Lebanon: Let Food Be Your Guide in Condé Nast Traveler recommends El Tawlet among others. Do not read when hungry.

For a big night out,  Em Sherif – with its mirrored tables and delicious cuisine is the place to go…

We shopped til we dropped in Beirut for everything from coffee tables at Nada Debs

to converted dentist chairs at Bokja

to kaftans at Artisans du Liban et d’Orient..

to bags at Sarah’s Bag. The bags are handmade by underprivileged Lebanese women.

Orient 499  is also worth a visit. The bullet-ridden Holiday Inn is across the street with very friendly armed guards.

There were too many shops and too little time. Lara’s suggestions for our next trip: jewellers Noor Fares, Nayla Arida,  Nada Lecavelier, Nada Zeineh, Saifi Village, and fashion designer Maison Rabih Kayrouz.

There is lots to see beyond the buzz of Beirut and nothing is more than a two-hour drive. We drove to the southern coast to admire the ruins in the antique Phoenician city of Tyre.

And sleep at the serene Dar Alma guesthouse – heaven…

We visited pretty Byblos, the oldest continuously occupied city in the world and where the word Bible comes. There, we heard simultaneously  the call to prayer and church bells….

A week was hardly long enough to get a taste for this fascinating, complicated country. I recommend Lebanon to anyone who appreciates creative, chic shops, excellent food, welcoming, sophisticated locals, nightlife, history-a-plenty,  and glorious nature.

For our return visit, Lara suggests: Sursock Museum, Mim Mineral Museum, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut Art Center. And the magnificent Roman temples in Baalbek.

ps-  for those who crave more of Lebanon, follow @livelovebeirut on Instagram.

July 2019

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So I spent a lot of my time in Austin – my first trip to Austin or Texas for that matter –  in the bath. I even had lunch in the bath (a ’why not?’ moment). In spite of all my time underwater, I still managed to see a lot, perhaps because my hotel was well located on South Congress Street, a quirky street that takes some time to warm to.

We’re here, said the cab driver.

Really?

I looked out of the car window at a bunch of unassuming, low built, bungalow style 1930’s buildings bordering a wind-blown deserted street.

This is it?” I asked, not sure I wanted to get out of the car.

Whacky doodle

is how architect and native Austinite David Lake of the talented Lake Flato practice describes South Congress Street. There’s an ad hoc, funky town element to South Congress that gives you a good flavour of the city and its unofficial slogan ‘Keep Austin weird’.

Austin is more tattoo than tiara, explained my sister Alexandra when advising me on what to pack. If only she’d mentioned tossing in some thermals. Weather-wise Austin – the fun, cool, hipster capital of Texas,  is nicest in the spring and fall. Don’t miss the April wildflowers at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center),

If heat’s your thing, summer is ok too.

I grew up in Texas, so I like the heat,” says Lake. “The best thing Austin has going for it is this huge green canopy of trees and open space. There’s a commitment to linear trails and park systems. Creeks, rivers flow down into the Colorado river. There are all these swimming holes that are natural- Barton Springs– which is spectacular, 69 degrees (fahrenheit), very cold. Deep Eddy is another one.

Winter-time, my vote goes to the steamy bath option on South Congress.

The street itself is lined with independent shops, restaurants and clubs. Top picks include By George for clothes, Perla’s for oysters, the Continental Club for music and  Jo’s Coffee for …

Funky as it may be, Austin is also booming thanks to tech, low taxes and the University of Texas. Much of the city feels like the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle of the south. The city has a thriving music and restaurant scene. Plus this month’s unveiling of  the late artist Ellsworth Kelly’s sublime secular chapel on the UT campus has put  a luminescent feather in Austin’s cultural Stetson.

I had come to Austin to join my mother

and friends to see the Kelly sanctum, an ode to creativity.

“Austin” as the chapel is called is the only standalone Kelly building and  a must-see, must-meditate spot.

Read this excellent article in the New York Times to learn more about Kelly’s final masterpiece.

Here I am, learning how to signal the Texan Longhorn, UT’s mascot, at the Kelly gala

If you visit Austin this spring, don’t miss two Kelly shows –  “Form Into Spirit” at the Blanton Museum of Art adjacent to Kelly’s Austin on the southern border of UT’s campus and “Ellsworth Kelly: Prints” at the Lora Reynolds Gallery.

Other sites to visit now or in the future: Lake’s firm has just finished Austin’s Central Library and is working on a 3 block project on South Congress … including a new Soho House, a new hotel called the Magdalena, and an addition to the existing St Cecilia hotel, plus plenty more restaurants and shops.

The upcoming Magdalena, St Cecilia and San Jose hotels – all located within a few blocks of one another –  are owned by Liz Lambert and her Bunkhouse group of cool hotels. She also owns the aforementioned Jo’s Coffee.

We did the San Jose 22 years ago, says Lake. We didn’t have much money.  It was a motel, a dive, the entire site was asphalt. So we kicked out all the cars and did an enormous amount of landscape.

The more expensive St Cecilia is located on a quiet side street off of South Congress with lovely rolling terrain, live oaks and a pool.

The 100-room Magdalena will sit  somewhere between the two price-wise  when it opens in 2020. It will feature an 85′ pool, reminiscent of Austin’s beloved natural pools.

Music is everywhere in Austin – live bands play on street corners, clubs, even a chili cook-off on South Congress …

Last of what I did see when I wasn’t submerged  was the terrific Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum on UT’s campus.

Following JFK’s assassination, LBJ presided over a tumultuous six year presidency (1963-69) spanning Civil Rights protests to the Viet Nam War. Three hours raced by in this multimedia extravaganza as I dove deep into the sixties, Johnson and the slew of landmark legislation Johnson got passed during his short tenure.

Don’t miss the illuminating and entertaining taped conversations between LBJ and the First Lady, Ladybird Johnson, Washington Post Editor Katherine Graham and various congressmen Johnson  charmed, cajoled and bullied to get bills passed.

I wish I had had more time in this city. Next trip I want to visit when it’s warmer and trade my hotel bath for a natural one. I plan to explore the city trails around Ladybird Lake on foot or bike, check out Ai Weiwei’s bike installation, and follow Lake’s advice at the capital building:

I just love going in the dome and lying on the floor and looking up. It drives the guards crazy, but there are all these kids doing it. Why let them have all the fun?

Food-wise Austin is full of tempting food trucks. But which are the tastiest? Lake’s team at Lake Flato singled out their top picks:

Veracruz All Natural, Migas & Migas Poblanos Tacos
Micklethwait Craft Meats, BBQ
Dee Dee, Northern Thai
G’Raj Mahal, Indian (technically ex-food truck, they just opened a bricks and mortar)
Kebabalicious, Turkish (same)

And restaurant wise -I loved Lambert’s (owned by Lizzie’s brother) for its barbecued meats, and cocktails. Eat downstairs, but use the loo upstairs.  I was tempted to strut my stuff when I passed the live band on the way to the bathroom. ATX Cocina  is a trendy Mexican  with delicious duck tacos, buzzy bar scene and a youthful crowd. Others I did not try but will on my encore  are  Italian Red Ash, Japanese Kemuri Tatsuya and Launderette. This last one serves American fare in a converted gas station/laundromat.

And last, but so not least, is a souvenir like no other. Local artist Eliza Thomas raves about the hand-made cowboy boot shop  ML Leddy’s  in San Angelo, a pretty three-hour drive west from Austin. Eliza says the boots take ten months to make but are worth every second.

February, 2018

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Herrera painted in relative obscurity in New York City for about seventy years. She’s quoted in one article complaining that the Museum of Modern Art kept going to Cuba to find artists.

 I was right here in New York. Why go to Cuba, for God’s sake?

Loyal to her throughout her career was Herrera’s dedicated husband of 61 years Jesse Lowenthal, an English teacher at Stuyvesant High School. He died before she’d sold her first painting.

There’s an old saying, Herrera is quoted as saying, if you wait for the bus, the bus will come. And I say yeah, I waited almost a century for the bus, and it came!

Herrera developed her distinct trademark style of sharp lines and contrasting chromatic planes in the late 1940’s. Her minimalist geometric signature style is recognisable by its simplicity and superb use of colour.

Herrera’s male contemporaries in the fifties and sixties – Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella and Barnett Newman – were getting lots of attention, attention that eluded her.

The fact that she was a woman and an immigrant played against her. But Herrera was undeterred. She loved what she was doing, she was and is dedicated to her vocation.

Herrera initially studied to be an architect which she credits with teaching her how to think abstractly and draw like an architect. She learned how to take away everything that was not crucial.

It wasn’t until her friend artist Tony Bechara put Herrera’s work in a group show in 2004 that people started to take notice.

Herrera who is now wheelchair bound still paints most days in the same Gramercy Park studio apartment that she has lived in since 1954.

Her day begins with  a cafe con lecche in the morning, drawing at her table by the window, breaking for a noonday skotch and water and returning to work after lunch. Reading through past interviews with Herrera, it’s clear that she is feisty, funny and wise. Here are some quotes I liked:

I never met a straight line I didn’t like.

Since I am famous my life is hell.

When death happens it will happen – it can’t be that bad if everyone is doing it

Don’t be intimidated about anything.

The Whitney is showing The 100 Years Show on Sunday, October 16th. It is a 30 minute documentary on Herrera that was a 5-time winner of Best Documentary Short when it aired last year. Or if New York is not on your itinerary this autumn, download it on Netflix.

Also not to be missed are the Herrera-inspired silk dresses from Narciso Rodriguez available in the museum shop or on-line.

They cost $330 and can be shipped fed ex int’l economy which takes 7-15 days depending on customs. The stunning exhibition runs through January, 2017.

September, 2016

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You sure that’s a good idea- we don’t speak Spanish? Stretch asked.

The place is supposed to be phenomenal. It’s the only fun thing I’ve booked. It’ll be great.

Not if we sleep through it it won’t. Never book a special meal – the kind you want to nonchalently boast about when you get home – after a long flight, especially where a non-refundable deposit and an inflexible maitre d’ are involved. Then Stretch evened things out by forgetting to rent a car. And then Stretch evened things out even more by telling the taxi driver in his best Spanish where to take us. Suffice to say that while the National Art Museum of Catalan on the outskirts of town was not where we intended to go, we liked it nonetheless.

It’s always good on a holiday to be prepared and have a just-in-case mantra – the one you learned when things weren’t looking so peachy.  ‘Life is a journey’ is my failsafe fallback. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it. Nora Ephron’s “Everything is copy” is another saviour.

Barcelona is a beautiful, vibrant city by the sea with glistening architectural eye-candy.  I really wish that I’d known Antoni Gaudí, genius master builder of Catalan Modernism – I think I would have really liked him. As he’s no longer around, I made do with his fab buildings which look as fresh and original today as they did a hundred years ago.  Below are a rooftop and a gate from Gaudi’s La Pedrera.

And that’s Stretch below, not Gaudi descending from the heavens.

The Cathedral of Barcelona began construction in 1298. Its central tower was not finished for another six hundred years. Builders!

The line snaked around the corner of  Gaudi’s most famous building, the Sagrada Familia. In the future we’re booking ahead.

Next stop was Mallorca where we stayed at one of those hotels that I’d go back to in a second. Owned by a Swedish-couple, Hotel Portixol overlooks the sea, has a stylish poolside restaurant, contemporary, clean, light-filled bedrooms,  and a laid-back, bohemian-chic vibe. Plus, it’s a pleasant 20 minute walk along the coast to Mallorca’s bustling capital city, Palma.  Be sure and request a room with a terrace facing the Mediterranean.

I had planned to do a bit of shopping in Palma in the the charming Old Town with its ancient buildings and leafy squares.

One shop leading  my list was Rialto Living, touted as one of Europe’s top lifestyle stores with 2,400 square feet of interior design, fashion, art, gifts, books and accessories all under one nifty roof.

Then Stretch told me about his five minute rule.

Why is it that straight men hate shopping, especially when it’s browsing, i.e. no set goal involved? Stretch looked like he should have been in Rio doing the 100 yard dash he was so speedy at Rialto Living. These pics were taken on the fly – literally. (try and spot lanky bf darting ahead.)

I pointed to a whole line of men waiting patiently outside a huge impressive looking Zara on Passei del Born. I’d heard good things about this particular Zara. Stretch glanced at the men sympathetically as if they were sad lions at the zoo.

When I saw how happy Stretch and his son were doing man things like bouncing behind a boat,

or hurling themselves off of a cliff  (Stretch’s back hurt from the boating adventure so he abstained)

I decided to channel my inner goodness from deep, deep inside me. As long as I didn’t have to commit hari-kari, I was happy to spectate. Life is journey, and here is the copy.

An area where our interests do align with the stars is the sport of eating and drinking. Our favourite night spot was La Bodeguilla, a chic wine plus food spot on Carrer de Sant Jaume,

the same cobblestone street as our next favourite dining discovery, Tast Club.

La Bodeguilla is a cosy restaurant with delicious food and an extensive, affordable wine list, while Tast Club (tip from my friend designer Willie Yeoward) is more about the chic interiors and hip atmosphere. The iberico jamon is delish at both.

While in Palma don’t miss the Miro Museum. Check out the Spanish artist’s perfectly preserved studio next door and contemplate how he created his magnificent works.

September, 2016

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But low and behold, Marc is a natural director, no fake laughing required. Two hours well spent. Even my daughter Kate who equates theater with nap-time – unless it’s “Porgy & Bess” – loved the play.

I think really camp theater is my thing, she concluded as we strolled out.

Wasn’t Marc’s play hysterical? I said to my sister Diana. I can’t decide whether to blog it now or wait for the NYT’s review.

Let them do the heavy lifting, advised my older and wiser sister.

And so the ever obedient youngest, I followed instructions. The play made the NY Times Critics’ Choice today. Here’s what they said:

The main trouble, always, with Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s spirited satire “The School for Scandal” is that we don’t get enough of them. But they are played to such delicious perfection in Red Bull Theater’s jaunty new production, directed by Marc Vietor at the Lucille Lortel Theater, that I wish I could beg Sheridan for a spinoff. Frances Barber’s Lady Sneerwell, all acid words and narrowed gimlet eyes, is the ideal companion to Dana Ivey’s Mrs. Candour, who’s as innocent as a poisoned sweet.

I confess, Mr. Surface,” Mrs. Candour says, addressing a young gentleman, “I cannot bear to hear people attacked behind their backs; by the bye, I hope ’tis not true that your brother Charles is absolutely ruined?” …..

It’s also been nominated for Best Revival by Off Broadway Alliance.

Marc is not one to be bowled over by early success:

We have had such good reviews that I have a feeling that even when (audiences) don’t think it’s funny, they laugh because everyone tells them it’s funny. It’s that whole group thing. You don’t want to be perceived as an idiot because you don’t think it’s funny yourself.

Ignore Marc. It is funny. So funny that if you happen to be in NYC between now and May 8th, go. Buy tickets here before they’re gone. The play’s got rapid-fire wit, a starry cast – including five-time Tony nominee  Dana Ivey, uber-talent Mark Linn-Baker and award-winning Brit Frances Barber –  wig and hair to die for

 and actor Ben Mehl takes his small part as 4 different servants and goes uproariously big.

(Frances Barber, Marc Vietor and Dana Ivey below)

Sheridan’s play is as relevant today as when it first appeared on stage over two hundred years ago.

What interests me about older plays, some people call it “museum theater, is the fact that human nature never changes,” Ivey told Theater Mania.

People love to gossip, then as much as now. Apart from maybe Lincoln who said “If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” (source: fun fact-filled program)

Clever directorial touches include the sound of birds chirping in the background as viewers find their seats and the set’s Twitter-adorned wallpaper. The logo of the program can be seen as a snake or an ear.

Marc slashed nearly three hours off of the original script which included five acts and intermissions.

I cut the hell out of it.

He rewrote several passages, replaced the boring butler Old Rolley with the exotic Master Ranji, replaced anti-Semitic Moses with money-lender Midas and cleverly dealt with zero wing space backstage.

That’s why I used the same five pieces of furniture for the play because there’s no room to put them off stage.There’s no hidden stage. Dressing rooms are above the theater.

The actors stay in character as they swiftly move the limited set around between scenes. And behind the scenes, Marc  worked over-time.

I had to talk everybody involved in this whole show, everybody from beginning to end I had to talk them into it, the set designer, the lighting designer, the guy who did the poster, the guy who did the program, I had to talk every single actor into doing the job, … every single dollar that’s in this show I had to scrape up from somebody. I’ve never done something like this before, and I’m never doing something like this again. Its nerve wracking and exhausting. This is it… a one-time experience.

 Now if someone comes along and sees it and decides they want to hire me as a director, I’ll do that in a minute.

 You heard it here readers – Terrific director for hire! And he’s great company too.

April, 2016

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